At least two persons were killed, one person was injured, while two others went missing after typhoon “Ambo” (International name “Vongfong”) wreaked havoc in the Visayas and Luzon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said yesterday.
NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said the casualties were initially reported in Eastern Visayas but the details of which have yet to be validated.
“Katulad sa ibang regions, ngayon palang umiikot ang local government units para magtingin kung anong extent ng damage,” Jalad said in a radio interview over dzBB.
Power outage was reported in Northern Samar and at least 11 areas in Eastern Samar – Zumarraga, Talalora, Gandara, Pagsanghan, Matuguinao, Daram, Tarangnan, Pinabacdao, Villareal, Calbiga, and Hinabangan.
At least six areas were experiencing signal interruption – Jipapad, Arteche, San Policarpo, Oras, Dolores, and Maslog, all in Eastern Samar.
An NDRRMC situational report said at least 1,648 families or 6,474 individuals were pre-emptively evacuated in Region 8 due to Ambo.
Police reported that two people were killed while thousands were forced to flee their homes due to Ambo.
A report from the Camarines Norte police said a man died of electrocution in Sta. Elena while a separate report from the Quezon provincial police revealed that a woman died when she was hit by the concrete wall of their house that collapsed in Catanauan.
Ambo is back over the sea west of Luzon after two days of making a number of seven landfalls over Eastern Visayas and eastern portion of Luzon.
It left the Luzon landmass via Ilocos Sur at around 7 a.m. yesterday and six hours later at 1 p.m., Ambo was 75 kilometers west-northwest of Laoag City.
As of 2 p.m. yesterday, Signal No. 2 remains hoisted over Ilocos Norte. Signal No. 1 was still up in Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Batanes, Babuyan Islands, and northwestern portion of Cagayan.
Ambo further weakened, with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It is moving north-northwest at 25 kph.
The water level in Bulacan’s Angat Dam rose by almost three meters yesterday after Ambo passed through Central Luzon.
PAGASA monitoring said Angat Dam’s water level increased to 190.19 meters yesterday from 187.53 meters last Friday. (Martin Sadongdong, Aaron Recuenco, and Ellalyn Ruiz)